Season's Greeting My Friends! Stuck for something to watch over the next week, even though there are a TONNE of Christmas films out in the world? Don't worry, I can totally understand how overwhelming it can be - do you stick to your favourite classics or branch out and watch new stuff? And if you do watch new stuff, where do you start? What if you want to watch new stuff AND your favourites, but you're running out of time to do both? Take a breath because I've got you covered once again with a list of Christmas films you should add into the your rotation. Last year I covered SO many films, so this year I thought I'd tone it back a little, especially since there's only a week until the big day - you can definitely get to a majority of these twelve films over the next week! You're honestly never too old for an animated Christmas film! Starting off our list is A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), a 25-minute short film in the Peanuts world. As the title suggests, it is a very Charlie Brown Christmas - Charlie likes everything about Christmas, but just can't seem to get excited like everyone else and doesn't really like the consumerism of the holiday. In true Charlie Brown style, no one seems to understand how Charlie feels, making him feel worse than he already does when they hate on the Christmas tree he picked out, and all of the characters look at Christmas in their own special way. It's short, sweet and a nice addition to your watch-list this Christmas, particularly if you're a Peanuts fan. As an Aussie, I grew up loving Blinky Bill - it was great to have children's cartoons that were very Australian alongside the imported UK and American ones. Blinky Bill's White Christmas (2005) incorporates everything we love about the mischievous Koala with a great Aussie Christmas. After destroying Wombo's Christmas snow-globe, which was a memento from his one white Christmas in Europe, Blinky is determined to give him another, even better, white Christmas. Blinky and Flap head off in search of the sacred Wollemi Valley and a pine tree. Meanwhile, Nutsy and Splodge try to make snow. It's not easy going when law-breaking humans are also thrown in the mix! There are very few Australian Christmas films, so this is a must-watch for Aussies and anyone looking for something a little different when it comes to Christmas watching. You can't not love Mickey and the gang and it just so happens that there are quiet a few Mickey Mouse Christmas films. But two that you should be checking out this year are Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas (1999) and Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas (2004). At an hour each, these films are actually a series of short holiday stories that essentially focus on the true meaning of Christmas and the importance of being with loved ones over the need for lots of gifts. The first installment features the stories 'Stuck on Christmas', 'A Very Goofy Christmas' and 'Mickey and Minnie's Gift of the Magi'. The second installment, which was the first time Mickey and the gang were in computer animation (which I'm not a fan of), features five stories; 'Belles on Ice', 'Christmas: Impossible', 'Christmas Maximus', 'Donald's Gift', and 'Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas'. I definitely prefer the first film, but both are great for some short Christmas magic and Disney shenanigans! An animated film that I think is totally underrated is The Polar Express (2004). There is just something so magical about this one and you can't deny that this made you wish for the Polar Express to pull up outside your house to take you on a trip to the North Pole. With Tom Hanks playing literally almost every main role here, it's hard not to love it and jump aboard the Polar Express on a journey of friendship and the spirit of Christmas. The animation in this is beautiful and it always makes me feel super festive. Definitely check this one out if you've, somehow, not seen it yet. The first of two new Christmas comedies, is Noelle (2019). This is such a fun, joyous and magical film, and with Anna Kendrick taking the lead, you just know you're in for a good time! A lot of people have likened this to Elf and I can so see why! When Noelle's older brother Nick inherits the role of Santa Claus upon their father's death, he can't seem to get into the role and takes Noelle's advice to take a break, a week before Christmas. Having never left the North Pole, Noelle heads out to find her brother before the big day, spreading Christmas joy as she goes. I instantly fell in love with this when I watched it recently, so it's definitely going to the top of my annual watch-list. Plus, it's got an adorable baby reindeer and you'll no doubt be left wanting Santa to gift you one this Christmas! The other comedy newbie is Let Is Snow (2019), which is based on the novel by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. While I've not read the novel, it has always been on my Christmas read-list, and I definitely want to get to it now that I've seen the film. During a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, a bunch of teens are brought together, with friendships and relationships forever changed by the events on the day. There's best friends who've always fancied one another, the girl who decides to give up her college dreams to stay with her sick mother, and the young pop star who just wants to experience something normal. It's such a sweet film with a great cast of characters, and definitely a must for YA lovers out there. Nothing says Christmas quiet like a corny holiday romance! And just when you thought we had plenty of royal Christmas romances to watch, a new one just came out this year (and no, I'm not talking about the third A Christmas Prince film). A Christmas Princess (2019) is a pretty cheesy holiday romance, and it's definitely one of those films that is lowkey terrible but you love it nonetheless. The film follows Prince John of Edgemont, who is in New York ahead of his family's Christmas Eve Banquet. He happens across struggling chef Jessica and asks her to cater the event, naturally falling in love with her along the way. And while I totally would have watched this film regardless, it was Travis Burns as Prince John that had me putting this on the top of my list. I absolutely adored Travis in the Aussie soap Neighbours, so it was fantastic to see him still being cute and swoony in this film. Honestly, this just ended up being ninety minutes of me fangirling and swooning over Travis, and I don't regret a second of it! Speaking of Christmas films featuring an Aussie as the lead, we have Netflix's Christmas Inheritance (2017). This is very much your traditional holiday romance, mirroring the staple Hallmark or Lifetime storyline - well-off and engaged city woman heads off to a small town during the holidays only to fall in love with the first guy she meets who shows her the true meaning of Christmas and makes her realise the guy she's with is a total jerk. As cheesey and cliched as it is, you can't not love it while you're watching it. Plus, I just loved seeing Eliza, who like Travis, is also a Neighbours alum, in this role which isn't too far from the character I first saw her play. A film I'm honestly surprised I didn't mention last year is Merry Kissmas (2015). This is just a cute holiday romance that sees our leading lady realise her fiance is kinda an ass and the guy she kissed in an elevator is much more suited to her. Not only has it got a cute relationship, but there's also a super cute dog that definitely steals all the scenes he's in. On top of that, it's such a weird, but awesome, thing to see Brant Daugherty playing a good character after taking on Noel Khan in Pretty Little Liars - also nice to see that he still has his head! This is a sweet story and I love coming back to it every year and falling in love with it a little more each time. Netflix teamed up with Vanessa Hudgens again this year for another Christmas rom-com in the shape of The Knight Before Christmas (2019). This is such a fun and sweet film, and I feel like it's my favourite Netflix Christmas film? Although I haven't seen them all yet, but so far it's my favourite. A knight from the 14th century is transported to the present day in order to fulfill a quest by midnight Christmas Eve, where he meets teacher Brooke. As they prepare for Christmas, Cole must figure out what his quest is, while Brooke learns to open her heart once more. If Netflix keeps this up, especially with the sequel to The Princess Switch coming next year, they're going to have to deliver a new Vanessa Hudgens Christmas flick every year! Rounding out the Christmas romances is another newbie, Same Time, Next Christmas (2019). As soon as I saw Lea Michele share this on her Instagram, I knew I had to get to it ASAP! It's clear that I'm a sucker for a good romance film, and having Lea take the lead was just an added bonus. Every Christmas since they were children, Olivia and Jeff's families have spent the holiday in Hawaii. After fifteen years of skipping the tradition, Jeff's family is back, with Jeff and Olivia having not seen, or spoken to, each other since they were teens. Although sparks may fly between the pair, their timing just isn't right, and over the course of a few Christmases, they navigate the feelings they've had for one another since they were teenagers. This was such a fun film and the location of Hawaii made if different from the other snow-filed holiday romances that pop up this time of year. This is definitely one I'm revisiting every Christmas! Nothing helps get you in the festive spirit and excited for Christmas quiet like holiday films, and these films will no doubt help spread the holiday cheer in your house! So over the next week, in the lead-up to the big day, make sure you add some of these to your watch-list, especially if you've not seen some of them yet!
I'd love to know which Christmas films are your go-to, as well as which films you've watched this year already - no matter how many films are on my watch-list, I always want to add more! Happy Holidays! Victoria :) |
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